ABC's "GCB" Earns Solid Results from 9-11pm on Easter Sunday

Some early info on ABC's Sunday, ahead of the regular press.

Please Note: On Easter Sunday, ABC aired repeats of America's Funniest Home Videos and Once Upon a Time from 7-9pm followed by 2 original episodes of GCB from 9-11pm. CBS' line-up was boosted by a big Masters Golf overrun into the opening hour of the night and included season finale programming in the 10pm hour (CSI: Miami). NBC aired an all-original schedule on the night (Dateline/Harry's Law/2-hour Celebrity Apprentice) and Fox was in repeats.

At 9pm coming out of a repeat Once Upon a Time, a special airing of GCB surged over its lead-in by 1.5 million viewers and by 70% in Adults 18-49, boosting ABC to #2 in the hour in the key young adult sales demo (tying time-period regular Celebrity Apprentice). In addition, the ABC freshman drama ranked #1 in the hour with Women 18-49.

Building on its lead-in among Adults 18-49 (+12%), ABC's GCB ranked #2 in its regular 10 o'clock time period, pacing 46% ahead its CBS competition (The Good Wife encore/CSI: Miami season finale). GCB also earned second place in the hour across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Although holiday TV usage levels were down in the hour week to week (-6% in AD18-49) and it did not have Desperate Housewives as a lead-in, GCB retained 100% of its young adult audience (AD18-34/AD18-49) from the prior week.

· Improving over the second hour of a 2-hour Brothers & Sisters on the year-ago night, GCB boosted its time slot for ABC year to year by double digits in Adults 18-49 (+12%).

Quick Take for Sunday, April 8, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Shooting Up Over its Lead-in at 9pm by 70% in Young Adults, a Special "GCB" Boosts ABC Up to No. 2 in the Hour in Adults 18-49 and No. 1 in Women 18-49

Building on its Lead-in at 10pm, ABC's "GCB" Towers Over its CBS Drama Competition in Adults 18-49 and Improves its Slot by Double Digits Year to Year

"GCB" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

At 9:00 p.m., coming out of a repeat "Once Upon a Time" (3.8 million and 1.0/3), a special airing of "GCB" (5.3 million and 1.7/4) surged over its lead-in by 1.5 million viewers and by 70% in Adults 18-49, boosting ABC to No. 2 in the hour in the key young adult sales demo (tying time-period regular "Celebrity Apprentice"). In addition, the ABC freshman drama ranked No. 1 in the hour with Women 18-49 (2.1/5 - tying CBS' "60 Minutes"/"Amazing Race" combo).

"GCB" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in among Adults 18-49 (+12%), ABC's "GCB" ranked No 2 in its regular 10 o'clock time period, pacing 46% ahead its CBS competition ("The Good Wife" encore/"CSI: Miami" season finale = 1.9/5 vs. 1.3/4). "GCB" also earned second place in the hour across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Although holiday TV usage levels were down in the hour week to week (-6% in AD18-49 = 37.2% vs. 39.6%) and it did not have "Desperate Housewives" as a lead-in, "GCB" retained 100% of its young adult audience (AD18-34/AD18-49) from the prior week.

· Improving over the second hour of a 2-hour "Brothers & Sisters" (1.7/5 on 4/10/11) on the year-ago night, "GCB" boosted its time slot for ABC year to year by double digits in Adults 18-49 (+12%).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 43% currently, from 40% at the same point in 2011. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 04/08/12.